Torontonians lose a vital weekly newspaper

OTTAWA, July 3, 2014 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists was saddened to hear Star Media Group announce the shuttering of The Grid on Wednesday.

An award-winning weekly newspaper renowned for high-quality journalism and innovative design during its three-year run, The Grid had 22 employees. All of them, including every journalist at the publication, are now looking for other work.

John Cruickshank, SMG's president, announced the cuts "with considerable regret" earlier today. The Toronto Star reported The Grid was "unable to generate sufficient revenue despite a strong and loyal following." Cruickshank told The Globe and Mail that SMG couldn't "create enough appetite among advertisers" to finance the publication.

"The Grid broke a lot of new ground in Toronto. The paper consistently gave young Torontonians a myriad of reasons to care about local news," said CAJ President Hugo Rodrigues. "The immediate outpouring of support in the wake of the paper's shuttering demonstrated how much its audience cared about its work.

"It's unfortunate Toronto businesses didn't see the value in The Grid's audience by choosing to more consistently and frequently to spend their advertising dollars in its pages and on its website."

The CAJ continues to be concerned about the closure of news publications across Canada. Removing a news source from any community regardless of its size leads to a less-informed audience.

"We understand that fiscal challenges lead to tough decisions in newsrooms," said Rodrigues. "Ceasing operations ought to be a last resort in all circumstances."

The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing over 600 members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy.

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SOURCE: Canadian Association of Journalists

Hugo Rodrigues, CAJ president, 613-330-8396, [email protected]